Mozambique

Culture Name

Mozambican

Orientation

Identification.
Arab traders who made their way down the East African coast mingled with
African peoples, creating a hybrid culture and language called Swahili.
This culture still predominates in several East African countries and
exerts a strong influence in northern Mozambique. The name
"Mozambique" is thought to come from the Swahili
Musa al Big,
the name of an ancient Arab
sheikh,
("chief") who lived on the northern Ilha de
Moçambique.

Location and Geography.
Mozambique is on the southeastern coast of Africa, bordering Tanzania,
Malawi, and Zambia to the north; Zimbabwe to the west; South Africa and
Swaziland to the south; and the Mozambique Channel to the east. The
capital, Maputo, is in the south, near the coast. The area of the country
is 308,642 square miles (799,509 square kilometers). The terrain ranges
from rain forests and swamps to mountains, grasslands, sand dunes, and
beaches. The Zambezi River is an important natural resource, supplying
power through the Cahora Bassa dam, one of Africa's largest
hydroelectric projects. The Zambezi flows west to east and cuts the
country into northern and southern regions that diverge, to some extent,
in terms of culture and history as well as climate.

There are two main seasons: the wet season from November through March and
the dry season from April through October. Drought is common, particularly
in the south. However, the country also has experienced devastating
floods, most recently in 1999. Mozambique a great diversity of animal
life, including zebras, water buffalo, elephants, giraffes, lions,
hippopotami, and crocodiles. The country has established national parks
and game reserves where these animals are protected.

Demography.
The estimated population in 1998 was 18,641,469. This figure represents a
twofold increase since 1970. Mozambique once had the highest growth rate
in southern Africa, but the rate of increase declined significantly from
the mid-1970s through the 1990s as civil war caused losses from both death
and emigration. There are about 1.1 million Mozambicans in Malawi and
Zimbabwe. More than two-fifths of the population is under the age of
fifteen.

The population is divided among roughly sixty different ethnic groups,
including nine major ones. The largest group is the Makua-Lomwe in the
north, who account for about half the population. Farther north are the
Makonde near the coast and the Yao near Lake Malawi. Southern tribes
include the Tsonga, the Karanga, the Chopi, the Shona, and the Nguni.
Roughly 3 percent of the population is European, Indian, Chinese,
Pakistani, or mestizo (mixed African and European). These people are
concentrated in the coastal cities and usually work as doctors, teachers,
shopkeepers, or industrial laborers.

Linguistic Affiliation.
The official language is Portuguese, a legacy of the country's
colonizers. When Mozambique gained independence in 1975, Frelimo wanted to
evict the colonial language but was not successful in finding a
replacement. No other language is spoken by a majority. In the north, the
Bantu languages of Yao and Makua predominate; in the Zambezi Valley, it is
Nyanja is the dominant languages; and in the south, Tsonga is spoken.
Along the northern coast, many people speak Swahili. Portuguese is the
language of education and government but is rarely spoken outside the
cities. Because six of the neighboring countries are former British
colonies, English is used occasionally, particularly in Maputo, in
dealings with businesspeople and tourists from South Africa.

Symbolism.
The flag consists of horizontal bands of green, black, and yellow with a
red triangle at the

Mozambique

left border. In the center is a yellow star overlaid with a book,
symbolizing education; a hoe, symbolizing agriculture; and a rifle, which
stands for defense and vigilance.

History and Ethnic Relations

Emergence of the Nation.
The earliest inhabitants were small groups of hunters and gatherers such
as the Khoi and the San. These groups were part of what is known as the
Bushmen. These nomadic people eventually moved out or intermarried with
Bantu-speaking tribes that came to the area around the third century
C.E.
In the eighth century, Arab traders began establishing trading posts
along the coast. By the fourteenth century, those settlements had
developed into independent city-states and were the main political and
commercial centers in the area.

The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama was the first European to reach
current-day Mozambique. When he arrived in 1498, the Maravi kingdom of the
Mwene Matapa was in control of the central Zambezi Basin. Da Gama first
landed in the Muslim island town of Moçambique, and by 1510 the
Portuguese controlled trading from Sofala in present-day Mozambique north
to Mogadishu in what is now Somalia. In 1515, they began to expand their
explorations into the interior with the intention of further controlling
trade and taking control of gold mines. They subdued the inhabitants and
over the next century claimed rights to vast areas of land and to the
people who lived there, whom they forced to work on their farms and in
their gold mines. The Mwene Matapa recognized Portuguese rule in 1629. The
Portuguese called the area
Terra da Boa Gente
("Country of the Good People").

Portuguese rule was challenged by local landlords (
prazeiros
), who wanted power for themselves, and by fighting among the African
tribes they were trying to subdue. In the late seventeenth century, the
Rozwi kingdom defeated the Mwene Matapa and forced the Portuguese south of
the Zambezi River. Portuguese supremacy continued to wane until the end of
the eighteenth century, when Portuguese seized control of the port at
Delagoa Bay in the south, later named Lourenço Marcos (today Maputo,
the capital). In 1752, the first colonial governor was appointed. Slavery
existed in the area before the Portuguese came, but they introduced the
concept of exporting slaves, and by 1790 nine thousand people were being
shipped out each year. The slave trade took the healthiest young people,
sapping many cultures of their vitality and growth. In the early 1800s,
when the British began to pass laws against the slave trade in West
Africa, this opened new opportunities for it to grow along the eastern
coast of the continent. Even after the Portuguese outlawed slavery in
1878, it went on for many years.

The Zulu presented another challenge to Portuguese rule. Under the
leadership of the warrior Shaka, the Zulu tribe expanded its domain by
attacking villages throughout southern Africa. The Zulu also battled the
Portuguese, capturing the fort at Lourenço Marcos in 1833.

European colonizers in nearby territories refused to recognize the
Portuguese claim to Mozambique. The British in particular contested
several areas in the south of the colony and actively ruled the areas to
which they laid claim. In 1875, this dispute erupted into a major conflict
that was settled in Portugal's favor.

A conference was held in 1885–1886 in Berlin in an attempt to
divide the African continent peacefully among the European colonizers.
Portugal claimed a territory that stretched from Angola on the west coast
to Mozambique in the east. The British did not agree to this, and boundary
wars were fought until Portugal relinquished Mashonaland, part of
current-day Zimbabwe, in 1891. The Portuguese also had to subdue the
African inhabitants of their colony, which was particularly difficult in
the interior Zambezi region and the north.

In the late 1800s, Portugal chartered private companies to oversee inland
territories, superseding the power of the local landlords. In 1907, in an
attempt to consolidate and enforce its power and to combat local
corruption, Portugal moved the administration of Mozambique from Lisbon to
offices in the colony itself.

During World War I, Portugal conscripted thousands of Mozambican men to
fight for the Allies; this resulted in a violent uprising in 1917. More
than 130,000 Mozambicans died in the war.

With the establishment of the Colonial Act in 1930, Mozambique's
limited autonomy was replaced by a more centralized Portuguese
administration. In 1951, Portugal declared the colony an overseas
province. Throughout the 1950s, the Portuguese government attempted to
increase the white population. This, combined with atrocious treatment of
the African population led to a steady migration out of Mozambique to the
neighboring countries.

In the 1960s, Mozambique was swept up in the pan-African movement toward
independence. The

Workers at a rice co-operative in Mozambique. Agriculture is the
largest industry.

secret police suppressed the actions of the political organizers, who
were forced to work in nearby African nations. In 1962, exiled leaders in
Tanzania established Frelimo, the
Frente de Libertação de Moçambique
(the Mozambican Liberation Front). Frelimo, lead by Eduardo Mondlane, was
strongest militarily in the north, from where it drew most of its
guerrilla fighters. Fighting between Frelimo and Portuguese troops broke
out in 1964, after which Portugal sent more than seventy thousand troops
to subdue the uprising. However, it was a costly war, and when Portuguese
army officers revolted in the mid-1970s, the colonial government
collapsed. Mozambique gained independence on 25 June 1975. With the
beginning of the independence movement, many Portuguese fled the country,
and the white population fell from 200,000 to 30,000 in 1977.

Frelimo was declared the new ruler and established a government based on
Marxist-Leninist ideology. However, conflict within Frelimo's
leadership, both political and ethnic, was widespread. That conflict had
already led to violence, including the assassination of Mondlane in the
late 1960s. Frelimo also faced external opposition, most notably from the
rebel group called Renamo the (Mozambican National Resistance). The
ongoing civil war that resulted disrupted Mozambique's economy,
caused tens of thousands of deaths, and forced large numbers of people out
of their homes and villages.

In the late 1980s, Frelimo, under pressure from the International Monetary
Fund, renounced its Marxist stance in order to receive foreign aid. In
1990, a new constitution was introduced that allowed for a multiparty
democracy. On 4 October 1992, the civil war officially ended when a peace
accord was signed by Frelimo and Renamo leaders.

National Identity.
The country is divided along both ethnic and linguistic lines.
Mozambicans often identify primarily with a tribe and/or linguistic group.
However, the independence movement that began in the 1960s was a unifying
force, causing these disparate elements to join together in resisting the
Portuguese. Ironically, some of the main unifying factors in the country
have been remnants of the colonial system, including the Portuguese
language and the Roman Catholic religion. This is most evident in the
central Zambezi Valley, where Portuguese influence was strongest.

Ethnic Relations.
Despite ethnic and linguistic differences, there is little conflict among
the various groups. The greatest cultural disparities are those which
divide the north of the country from the south. The groups north of the
Zambezi follow a system of matrilineal descent. Many of them are
seminomadic, moving every few years to more fertile soil. Because they are
far from the capital and other urban centers, these northern groups show
less influence from the Portuguese. South of the river, in the Zambezi
Valley, the people adopted Portuguese dress, language, and religion to a
larger extent.

Urbanism, Architecture, and the Use of Space

All the main cities are located on the coast. Maputo was constructed on a
European model and has wide streets, public gardens, and paved sidewalks
inlaid with mosaic tiles. The city has two parts: the older residential
area on a cliff overlooking the harbor and the newer industrial area
below, where the factories, port facilities, and most office buildings are
located. In the 1950s, the Portuguese architect Amancio d'Alpoim
Guedes designed many of the city's office and apartment buildings,
which combine shapes and symbols from traditional African art with a
modern sensibility.

Aerial view of the capital city Maputo. It was constructed with wide
streets, public gardens, and paved sidewalks inlaid with mosaics.

Most of the cities took in a large number of refugees from the countryside
during the civil war. To cope with that sudden population increase,
shantytowns were erected along the outskirts. Poor sanitation in those
settlements led to the spread of disease. Government planners have been
attempting to combat this problem by building low-cost apartments, but
they have been unable to keep up with the growing population.

Beira, the second largest city, is primarily a port. Located several
hundred miles north of Maputo, on the coast, it is the center of the
commercial fishing industry and a center of trade with Malawi and
Zimbabwe. Like Maputo, it took in a large number of refugees during the
civil war. It is also a Portuguese-style colonial city.

Nampula in the north is the third largest city and was established in the
late 1960s when the Portuguese drained a swamp and built it. The city grew
even more rapidly than expected, partly as a result of its location along
the commercial railway between Malawi and the port of Nacala. However,
despite its harbor and modern facilities, Nampula has declined in
importance because of the deterioration of the railroad line that leads
from the city to the interior and to Malawi.

The oldest surviving settlement is Moçambique Island in the north.
The Arab architecture of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, including
coral-block mosques and houses, is still standing. Fort Saint Sebastian, a
huge stone fort built by the Portuguese in 1507, is another physical
testament to the island's history. The fort has been preserved as a
museum. The town continues to thrive with large Asian and Muslim
populations.

The country also has the remains of several ancient cities, including
Nhacangara near the border with Zimbabwe. This site has a stone fortress
with paths and tunnels, and traces of terraces on the nearby hills
indicate earlier settlement. Archaeologists speculate that the country has
many more long-uninhabited cities that have not been discovered. However,
research into them has been impeded by the civil war.

Much historic colonial architecture was destroyed in the civil war.
Renamo's strategy was to destroy every building that Frelimo
erected. That destruction extended to include even small structures in the
countryside, until the whole country was virtually destroyed.

Despite the rapid growth of the cities, nine-tenths of the population is
rural. Traditional village houses are round huts made of poles held
together
with mud, and thatched roofs made of palm leaves. However, most homes
built today are made of cement blocks and have tin roofs. Each village
erects a
boma
around its perimeter. This is a fence with sharpened posts, that provides
protection against attacks by lions and other wild animals. The fields lie
outside the
boma.
Villages are centered on a cattle pen called a
kraal,
or a community building.

Food and Economy

Food in Daily Life.
Most of the crops originally cultivated in the region have been
supplanted by European imports. The exception is millet, a grain that
sometimes is made into beer. The diet of rural residents is based on the
cassava root, which is called
mandioca
in Portuguese. Its importance is testified to by its name, which
translates as "the all-sufficient." This malleable food
source can be baked, dried in the sun, or mashed with water to form a
porridge. In its most common form, it is ground into a coarse flour along
with corn and then mixed with cassava leaves and water. The resulting
dough is served in calabashes. Corn is the other staple food; both corn
and cassava were introduced from the Americas by the Portuguese. Cashews,
pineapple, and peanuts, which are other important foods, found their way
to Mozambique in the same way.

Along the coast, the cuisine is more varied and Portuguese-influenced than
it is in inland areas. The diet there includes more fruit and rice as well
as seafood dishes such as
macaza
(grilled shellfish kabobs),
bacalhão
(dried salted cod) and
chocos
(squid cooked in its own ink). Food is seasoned with peppers, onions, and
coconut. Palm wine (
shema
) is a popular drink.

Food Customs at Ceremonial Occasions.
Food is a part of many celebrations. It is customary to serve a meal at
parties, rituals, and other social gatherings. For the poor (who are the
vast majority of the population), while ceremonial occasions often entail
large feasts, the food served is the same as what is eaten everyday.

Basic Economy.
The gross national product has nearly no growth rate and is one of the
lowest in the world. Although only 5 percent of the land is arable, 80
percent of the people work in agriculture. The farming techniques are
primitive, involving few tools and work animals. After independence, many
farms were organized on the basis of Chinese and Cuban models; however,
with the changes imposed by the International Monetary Fund in the late
1980s, a system of decentralization and private ownership was introduced.
The main crops cultivated are corn, cassava, coconuts, peanuts, cotton,
sugar, and cashews. However, the nation cannot meet its food needs,
particularly for corn, and must import large quantities of food.
Mozambique's currency is the
metical
.

Land Tenure and Property.
There is no tradition of private land ownership. Land belongs to the
community rather than to any individual. When the country won
independence, the socialist Frelimo government took over ownership of all
the land from the Portuguese and encouraged villagers to farm
collectively, according to their traditions.

Commercial Activities.
The main goods produced for sale within the country are agricultural.
Farmers grow corn, cassava, peanuts, bananas, and citrus fruits for their
own consumption. Some of these products are sold at local markets, and
some are transported to the capital and other cities for sale there.

Major Industries.
Agriculture is by far the largest industry. Fishing along the coast
(particularly shrimp) accounts for one-third of the country's
exports. The rivers also provide fish, and there are several fisheries
that produce mackerel, anchovies, and prawns. Mining and manufacturing
account for one-fifth of the gross domestic product. The principal
products are coal, beryllium, limestone, and salt. There are also deposits
of tantalite, iron ore, uranium, copper, gold, and diamonds. The country
also manufactures textiles, plastics, beverages, food, cement, glass, and
asbestos.

Trade.
The main exports are shrimp, cashews, cotton, sugar, and timber, which go
primarily to Spain, the United States, Japan, and Portugal. Imports of
food, machinery, petroleum, and consumer goods come from South Africa, the
United States, Portugal, and Italy. The country has an unfavorable trade
balance, although it is alleviated somewhat by remittances sent by
Mozambicans working in South Africa.

Division of Labor.
The workforce is divided primarily along geographic lines. The majority
of the population is rural, and these people are farmers. In cities, there
are more skilled workers as well as street vendors and a small
white-collar workforce. Professionals such as teachers, lawyers, and
government officials constitute a small percentage of the population and
generally come from a small number of middle-class or wealthy families.

Social Stratification

Classes and Castes.
During the time of Portuguese rule, the
prazeiros,
(Portuguese landowners) formed the wealthiest and most powerful class.
Below them were the mestizos, those of mixed African and Portuguese
descent; and at the bottom were Africans, who constituted the vast
majority of the population. Despite the internal diversity of the
population, which is composed of various cultural and linguistic groups,
ethnicity has never been a major factor in social status. Since
independence, most Portuguese have left the country. Today, with the
exception of the tiny ruling elite, nearly everyone in the country is
poor.

Symbols of Social Stratification.
The way people dress reflects the confluence of different cultures as
well as the individual's economic standing. In the cities, men wear
Western-style suits to go to work. Women wear Western-style dresses made
from fabric with brightly colored African patterns. Throughout the country
men have, for the most part, replaced the traditional loincloth with
T-shirts and dashikis. Women in rural areas, however, generally have kept
their traditional garb of long strips of fabric that are wrapped around
the body, under the arms, and over one shoulder. They also have retained
the traditional head scarf or turban. Young people almost exclusively wear
Western clothing, except for the extremely indigent. Despite the European
and American influence on fashion, some styles, such as blue jeans and
short skirts, have not been adopted. Dress also can be a marker of ethnic
identity. Muslims in the north wear traditional long white robes and head
coverings; Asian men wear white two-piece cotton suits, whereas Asian
women dress in black or colored silk dresses. Language also can be an
indicator of socioeconomic standing. Portuguese is learned in school and
is therefore the language of the privileged elite; it is almost entirely
unheard outside the cities.

Political Life

Government.
The constitution adopted in 1990 declared Mozambique a multiparty
democratic republic. The 250 members of the unicameral Assembly of the
Republic are elected by universal suffrage. The president is both chief of
state and head of the government and is elected for a five-year term, with
a maximum limit of three terms.

Leadership and Political Officials.
While Mozambique is officially a multiparty democracy, the government is
still dominated by the two main parties, Frelimo and Renamo. The third
party, which did not win any seats in the legislature in the
1999 elections, is called the Democratic Union. Frelimo, the ruling
political party from independence through the end of the civil war,
suffered from infighting among its leaders. Both Frelimo and Renamo took
their leaders from workers in the independence movement. While there are
varying levels of education among politicians, almost all have studied
abroad in Portugal or other European countries.

Social Problems and Control.
Crime is a growing problem, particularly in the cities, which have been
flooded with poor unemployed men from the countryside seeking work. The
justice system was fashioned after the Portuguese model. However, without
enough qualified judges and lawyers, this system could not function well,
so Frelimo modified it. Because prison facilities could not accommodate
the large number of criminals, the government established rehabilitation
camps (usually farms) for minor offenders and alcoholics (Frelimo
considered alcoholism a crime). Frelimo also set up vigilante groups of
citizens to turn in alcoholics and anti-government individuals. One of the
most pressing problems is human rights violations on the part of law
enforcement agents, and the mistreatment of criminals and suspects.

Military Activity.
Under Frelimo, the police force was nationally controlled, with local
divisions in each town. Frelimo also put in place the National Service of
Popular Security, an arm of the police force that deals with terrorism and
sabotage. When peace accords were signed in 1992, Frelimo had an estimated
seventy thousand troops and Renamo had twenty thousand. Those fighters
were compelled to turn in their weapons, and a new national force, the
Mozambican Defense Force, was established, including fifteen thousand men
from each party.

Social Welfare and Change Programs

Social welfare comes primarily from within the family, which cares
independently for its own elderly or ailing member. Other aid comes from
international charitable organizations.

Nongovernmental Organizations and Other Associations

Since the peace treaties were signed, the United Nations has played a
large role in the peacekeeping process. It stationed almost eight thousand
people who were responsible for supervising the dismantling

A woman cooks over an open-air fire in Mozambique. Women often face
obstacles when seeking nontraditional employment.

and rebuilding of the armies, over the 1994 elections to ensure that they
were fair and democratic, and helped return almost two million refugees to
their homes. As part of the last project, the United Nations aided in the
reconstruction of water systems, roads, schools, and clinics. The
International Organization for Migration (IOM) also helped with the
repatriation process. One of the biggest problems is the presence of land
mines left over from the civil war. It is estimated that up to two million
were buried. The United Nations collaborated with USAID and a Norwegian
group to help find and defuse them.

The refugee situation has created another crisis in the form of legions of
abandoned street children, particularly in Maputo, where they number an
estimated half a million. Many volunteer aid organizations work with
orphans and abandoned children to care for them and educate them to be
self-sufficient. Among these groups are Save the Children and the
Institute for International Cooperation and Development (IICD). The World
Food Program buys grain grown in areas of the country where production
exceeds use and redistributes it in other areas.

Gender Roles and Statuses

Division of Labor by Gender.
The constitution guarantees all citizens the right to work, but women
often face obstacles when they seek nontraditional employment. Women have
historically been responsible for all domestic tasks. In the towns and
cities, they generally are confined to the home, whereas in rural areas,
they play an important role in the agricultural labor force. The
Organizaçao de Mulheres de Mozambique (Organization of Mozambican
Women, or OMM), which works to promote women's rights, has
implemented programs to teach women to sew and crochet and sell the
products they produce for cash.

The Relative Status of Women and Men.
According to the constitution, men and women have equal rights. However,
both traditional and colonial attitudes keep women in a somewhat
subordinate position. Even within the ranks of Frelimo, which declared
itself a proponent of women's rights, women have not attained
positions of power.

Marriage, Family, and Kinship

Marriage.
Polygamy is traditionally practiced and until recently was quite common.
In 1981, Frelimo instituted a law designed in conjunction with OMM that
established monogamous marriage, and by which both spouses share ownership
of property and decisions about where to live. The law also entitled women
to a means of maintenance and specified the responsibilities of fathers in
financially supporting their children. Marriage celebrations involve
feasting, music, and dancing.

Domestic Unit.
The traditional family includes several generations living together under
one roof. However, in many areas, this family structure has been
dismantled by the civil war, which took many lives, compelled many men to
emigrate from rural areas to the cities or to neighboring countries, and
left large numbers of children orphaned or abandoned.

Inheritance.
Tribes north of the Zambezi River follow a matrilineal model of
inheritance. They trace their ancestry through the mother's side,
and at marriage the man becomes part of the woman's family. In the
south, the model is patrilineal.

Kin Groups.
South of the Zambezi River, tribes follow a patrilineal descent; to the
north, kin ties are established through the mother's line.

Socialization

Infant Care.
Young children rarely are separated from their mothers. It is customary
for women to tie their babies to their backs with a strip of cloth and
take them along when they work in the fields.

Child Rearing and Education.
Children are treated with affection but are expected to defer to their
elders and often begin to work at a young age. After the civil war, as
many as half a million children were left without families. Many of these
children wander Maputo and other cities and stay alive by stealing or
selling small items on the street. Relief organizations have alleviated
the problem somewhat by caring for and educating children, and reuniting
families.

Because of the Portuguese legacy of suppressing education in colonies,
Mozambique was estimated to have a literacy rate of only 10 percent when
it gained independence in 1975. The first postindependence government made
raising this number a priority and instituted compulsory education for
children between the ages of six and twelve. This program was largely
disrupted by the civil war. When the war ended in 1995, the literacy rate
was 40 percent and only 60 percent of primary-school-age children were in
school. Only 7 percent of children were enrolled at the secondary level.
Since the peace treaties were signed, these numbers have begun increasing,
but the destruction of many school buildings and a lack of trained and
educated teachers have left the country with a problem that will not be
soon eradicated.

Higher Education.
There are three institutes of higher education that enrolled a total of
seven thousand students in 1995. Eduardo Mondlane in Maputo is the only
university.

Etiquette

Greetings are lengthy and involve inquiring into the health of each
other's family. People generally stand close together and are
physically affectionate.

Religion

Religious Beliefs.
The native religion is animism. Arab traders brought Islam to the area,
and the Portuguese brought Christianity. Historically, the introduction of
Christianity by both Catholic and Protestant missionaries was a mixed
blessing. While their teachings conflicted with the traditional way of
life, they offered Mozambicans access to health

A doctor examining a TB patient in Morrumbala Hospital. The civil
war took a heavy toll on medical care throughout the country.

care and an education, as the colonial Portuguese government did not
provide those things.

Today the constitution ensures religious freedom and separation of church
and state. However, when Frelimo took power, it expressed hostility toward
Roman Catholicism, viewing it as a Portuguese tool of oppression. Twenty
to 30 percent of the population is Christian, and 10 percent follows
Islam; Islam is most prevalent near the northern coast. Many people who
adhere to Christianity or Islam still practice traditional religion. About
twothirds of the population follows animist rituals and customs. The
traditional belief system places a high importance on a connection with
one's ancestors as well as with the spirit world.

Religious Practitioners.
The animism practiced in Mozambique includes sorcerers, wise men and
women, and witch doctors or traditional healers, who are capable of
communicating with spirits and act as go-betweens for the rest of the
people. The healers are well versed in the medicinal uses of local plants
as well as spiritual healing.

Rituals and Holy Places.
Many animist rituals involve music and dance. For example, Makonde men
perform a dance that involves large masks called
mapicos.
The masks are carved in secret, and represent demons; women are not
allowed to touch them. The dance, which is performed to the accompaniment
of drums and wind instruments, enacts a repeated attack on villagers by
the demons and is a ritual that lasts for many hours.

Medicine and Health Care

When independence was won in 1975, the government created a free,
nationalized health care system, at the same time banning private
practice; this resulted in an exodus by the majority of the
country's doctors. The government's goal was to improve
health through preventive medicine, employing nurses to give vaccinations
and educate the population about sanitation and other basic health care
measures. Many of the clinics it established, however, were destroyed in
the civil war. Since the war ended, it has invested a large amount of
money in rebuilding those clinics and has done away with the law
prohibiting private practice in an effort to increase the number of
doctors. A shortage of supplies and trained personnel was exacerbated by
the destruction caused by the civil war. The main health threats are
sleeping sickness, transmitted by the tsetse fly, and malaria. Life
expectancy is forty-seven years for men and fifty years for women. The
infant mortality rate is 130 per thousand, the highest in the world.

Many people rely on traditional herbal medicines and healing methods under
the guidance of village healers, in combination with what little health
care and medicine the government provides.

AIDS is a growing problem. In Maputo and the other urban centers, the
infection rate is about 10 percent. Outside the cities, the rate is 17
percent for low-risk groups and 27 percent for high-risk groups. While
these numbers are lower than those in some surrounding countries, AIDS is
a major concern and a threat to the nation's future.

Secular Celebrations

The major holidays are New Year's Day on 1 January, Heroes'
Day on 3 February, Women's Day on 7 April, Workers' Day on 1
May, Independence Day on 25 June, the Anniversary of the End of Armed
Struggle on 7 September, the Anniversary of the Opening of Armed Struggle
on 25 September, and Family Day on 25 December.

The Arts and Humanities

Support for the Arts.
There is a national performing arts company called the Nambu Productions
as well as a national dance company, both of which perform contemporary
productions based on traditional forms. The Frelimo government also
established a National Institute of Culture that collects and preserves
traditional music, crafts, stories, and myths.

Literature.
Literary production has been limited because of poverty and a low
literacy rate. There is a strong oral tradition of storytelling, and many
of the country's contemporary writers draw on that tradition.
Literary writing has historically been tied to resistance to Portuguese
colonialism and for this reason was largely censored before independence.
Writers such as Luis Bernardo Honwana were imprisoned for their work.
Honwana is also a documentary filmmaker but is best known for the book
We Killed Mangy-Dog,
which combines personal and cultural autobiography. Virtually all the
poets and writers use the colonial Portuguese language as their medium.
The poet Jose Craveirinha sees Portuguese, particularly with the infusion
of local African words, as an important part of the nation's
cultural heritage and is a proponent of retaining it as the national
language. Because of a lack of education and other disadvantages, women
have been underrepresented in the literary realm. One exception is Noemia
De Sousa, who is known as the mother of Mozambican writers. When she began
writing in the 1950s and 1960s, she was the only
mestiça
writing in Portuguese in Africa. She takes on the subject of African
women and their work and has become a voice for the women of her country.

Graphic Arts.
Mozambique is known for the traditional sculpture and wood carving
produced by the Makonde people in the north. Using hardwoods (primarily
mahogany, ebony, and ironwood), the Makonde fashion masks and sculptures
known as "family trees," large depictions of various figures
that tell stories of generations. Mozambique also has produced several
well known contemporary artists, including Malangatana Goenha Valente,
whose large canvases depict conflict between colonial culture and native
culture. Two contemporary sculptors are Nkatunga and Chissano.

Performance Arts.
The country has a long musical tradition. Song serves several purposes,
including religious expression, the relating of current events, and making
fun of neighbors. It is customary for musicians to make their own
instruments.Drums have wooden bases covered with stretched animal skins.
Wind instruments known as
lupembe,
used by the Makonde tribe, are made from animal horns, wood, or gourds.
The
marimba,
a kind of xylophone that has been adopted in Western music, originated in
Mozambique, where it is popular with the Chopi in the south. Chopi
musicians also use the
mbira,
strips of metal attached to a hollow box and plucked with the fingers.
The musical style is similar to West Indian calypso and reggae. A
contemporary form of music called
marrabenta
has developed in the cities and draws on traditional complex rhythms.

There are elaborate, well-developed traditions of dance throughout the
country. Dances often have religious significance. The Chopi perform a
hunting dance in which they dress in lion skins and monkey tails, carry
spears and swords, and act out battles. Makua men in the north dance on
two-foot-tall stilts, hopping around the village for hours, bedecked in
colorful outfits and masks. On Moçambique Island, a form of dance
practiced by women combines complex steps and rope jumping.

Storytelling is another traditional art form. The national culture is rich
in tales, proverbs, myths, and jokes that have been passed down from
generation to generation.

The State of the Physical and Social Sciences

Facilities for the physical and social sciences are virtually nonexistent.
However, Maputo has a Museum of Natural History that specializes in
natural history and ethnography as well as the Freire de Andrade Museum
for minerals and the History Museum for military affairs. The town of Ilha
da Inhaca is home to a marine biology museum.

I love all the pics. you have. I'm in 7th grade and we re doing a project on african countries. My group selected Mozmbique. This site has ver good info nd helpe dme type over half of my report and i used all of the pictures on this page on our poster! lanks again
kelsey

I love all the pics. you have. I'm in 7th grade and we re doing a project on african countries. My group selected Mozmbique. This site has ver good info nd helpe dme type over half of my report and i used all of the pictures on this page on our poster.Thanx very much

Wow, congratulations!!! This is a great article about my homecountry Mozambique. I am currently attending Emory University - Graduate Division. It was quite that your article mirrored what Mozambique was/is all about. Again, congratulations

I love all of the information your site has to offer! My class is doing a project on Mozambique and I got most of all my info. from this ! I would recommend this to everyone! Very cool details and pictures. You have everything you would need to research on this topic! I love it(: Keep up the good work! Thank you so very much!

Thanks for such a great website!! We have to do a report on a Commonwealth country and i picked Mozambique and I thought it would be hard because they're aren't many good websites but this website helped me heaps!! thanks so much!!

Hi there, my name is Jess and I liked this web site but sadly it didnt have what i was looking for. I was trying to find some Mozambique tradions, customs and celebrations for a school project.
Ps- I am 10-11 years old so the article should be simple and yet interesting.

I'm currently studing an intrnational course in stanford business college and we have been given an assignment which conclude countries like mozambique ,so I appreciate this infornation very much . Thanks

just like to share and comment on your spendid work on the project of mozambique. i havelway herd storesies of slavery and to my surprise a am a decendant of the slave trade of Northern mozambique, Nampula Nacala. i was born an bread in South Africa but my Roots have led me to the very place that slavetrade intensified in Nampula. i thank you again.

Hi i would like to know about my culture and their roots . I am stayong in South Africa and my grand father was born in mozambique . I do not know about our culrure , i only know that we are tjopi"s i am not sure if the speling is correct. I would realy appreciate if i can get much more info about them . My brother is getting merrid soon and we need to know our culture. Thanl you.

i lost my perants in the war i mozambique in 1964-65 cause the war in country,
the portugues army was called to secured the intrests of our country
The army in the specials forces COMANDOS .
HOW i can find them if they are still alive ?
i was shift to Portual for a orphanage in the city of porto for 18 years
please help me i am now in Canada living whith my two kids
i need to know my life as i deserve ,i was taking from my country Mozambique

VERY KNOWLEDGFULL AND HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE MOZAMBIQUE. MORE AND MORE EFFORTS ARE TO BE MADE FOR THE BASIC EDUCTION, HEALTH, AGRICULTURE AND TO MINIMIZE PRICE INCREASE SPECIALLY FOR FOOD & HEALTH TO ATTRACT PEOPLE OF MOZAMBIQUE TO WORK HARD FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR MOTHERLAND.

How many kilometers or hours of driving does it take from Cape Town to Maputo?
Is the traffic left hand or right hand drive? e.g. like in South Africa?
Can one ship cars, furniture etc from Mozambique to Europe? If so, what shipping companies should one contact in Maputo?

I am impressed by the contents of this website. It gives a good overview of Mozambique. I found it very infromative and answers most of the questions I have had for a long time about Mozambique. My father emigrated from Mozambique and settled in Zimbabwe in 1955. Can you shed more light for me on the traditional rituals during burial and after followed by the Sena people north of Zambezi?

Good job, Thank you so much. This article really would help me so much in my coming presentation about the culture of my country mocambique here in south korea. am well informed now than ever. hoping to have a fun class. muito obrigdo,bjo

The site was very useful and provided lot of information regarding Mozambique and their culture but I need some more information regarding the clothing. I wish to know the names of the cloths used by them, the name of traditional cloth, marriage costumes and name of the dress used during the traditional dances and functions.

I've just relocated to my home country (Moçambique) a few months back. I spent my whole life in another country and only came here now (after 25yrs) and eventually I knew very little of my country...but I'm greatful for this information, I now know exactly how my country came to be. I now understand the influences, culture, lifestyle and much more. :)